Retractor with space saving features

ABSTRACT

A retractor may include various features that reduce the amount of space necessary to secure an object, for example, a wheelchair in a vehicle. In one embodiment, the webbing is designed to come off of the top of the retractor spool, which shifts the webbing take-off point from the spool rearward, as compared to prior art retractors. In another embodiment, the retractor is provided with a webbing guide that rotates around at least a portion of the circumference of the retractor spool. The rotatable guide also shifts the take-off point from the webbing guide rearward, as compared to prior art retractors. In yet another embodiment, the retractor is provided with both a rotatable webbing guide and webbing that comes off of the top of the spool.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/201,156, filed on Nov. 27, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/339,360, filed on Oct. 31, 2016, thecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The embodiments described and claimed herein relate generally toretractors. In some embodiments, the retractor has a webbing guide thatprevents twists from being wound onto the spool and keeps the webbingcentered on the spool and/or supplies webbing off of the top of thespool. In one application, the retractors may be used with thewheelchair securement system disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 62/341,570,which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

Wheelchair securement retractors often include several feet of webbingor other strap. At its proximal end, the webbing is attached to a spool.At its free end, the webbing is attached to an anchor, usually a hook,which engages and secures a wheelchair. When drawing webbing out fromthe retractor spool to secure the hook to the wheelchair, the operatormay introduce twists into the webbing that can become wound onto theretractor spool when the webbing is retracted. These twists may jam theretractor or otherwise interfere with proper functioning of theretractor, while also increasing wear of the webbing. Similarly, aswebbing enters the retractor it may go off-center and possibly interferewith and get damaged by the retractor gear/teeth.

Currently there are several forms of webbing guides. These webbingguides serve the same purpose of keeping the webbing centered whilebeing wound around a spool, and some may also prevent twisting of thewebbing as well. For instance, it is common in the wheelchair securementindustry to find a retractor cover with a “mouth” designed specificallyto aid in guiding the webbing. Sometimes, retractors will include asmall separate component mounted forward of the retractor frame. In allinstances of existing webbing guides, their designs are limited to allowwebbing to exit the retractor at a single point and offer a limitedrange of motion with respect to that webbing as it exits the retractor.In short, existing guides serve as a “single-point” webbing guide unableto adapt to any variation from the angles of the webbing as it leavesthe retractor. Because of their fixed-angle designs, existing retractorsused in a wheelchair environment where space constraints are significanttake up more space than necessary, as the webbing must exit the spooltypically straight off the bottom at a zero (0) degree angle, and thenmust pass through a separate webbing guide in the form of a retractorhousing or other component mounted forward of the frame, both of whichcontinue to take up much needed space.

SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments disclosed and claimed herein solve at least some of theshort-comings of the existing webbing guide designs. In one embodiment,a webbing guide is pivotal about an axis of the spool which allows thebelt to come off the spool of the retractor at any angle. This designmay shift the webbing take-off point from the retractor rearward,thereby reducing the space needed for proper wheelchair securement whileat the same time preventing twists and off-centering of the webbing,whereby the webbing will not interfere with and become damaged by theretractor teeth/gearing.

In a second embodiment, the retractor is designed so that the webbingcomes off of the top of the retractor spool, as opposed to an undersideof the retractor spool like the prior art. This design may also shiftthe take-off point rearward and further eliminate some of the space usedup by existing retractors.

In a third embodiment, the aspects of the first and second embodimentare combined.

In some embodiments, the housing for the retractor may have an open topand may be designed to protect users from contact with exposedgear/teeth and unintentional injury as a result of fingers entering theretractor top.

In other embodiments, the retractor may be designed in a way as to limitthe range of motion of a webbing guide. For example, some internationalstandards call for an operating range for securement. If those angles,for example, were to be from 30 degrees to 50 degrees, then theretractor can be designed to limit the rotating webbing guide to beoperable only within that range.

In other embodiments, the webbing guide may feature a visual indicatorto alert the user of a desired or optimal operation angle (or range ofangles). This visual indicator may comprise many forms such as numericalvalues indicating the actual range, or a color system which willindicate via a positive or negative color value that the belt angles arewithin the operating range for effective securement.

In yet other embodiments, a lockable feature for the rotating webbingguide may be provided. Such a feature could serve to hold the webbingguide at an optimal angle for various purposes such as maintenance,storage, or to facilitate easier removal of the hooks from theretractor.

In even yet other embodiments, the webbing guide may be provided with aspring loaded or tension bias. Such a bias could facilitate pushing thewebbing guide to a predetermined angle, such as 90 degrees, for example.When at 90 degrees, the webbing guide is at an angle that facilitateseffective webbing ingress during a crash—resulting in improved rearexcursions. Without a spring loading or tension bias, it would take thewebbing itself to ‘push’ the webbing guide up to the 90 degree angle,therefore creating more friction which may prevent easy ingress ofwebbing through the webbing guide and into the retractor housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, objects, and advantages of theembodiments described and claimed herein will become better understoodupon consideration of the following detailed description, appendedclaims, and accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a retractorthat includes space-saving features;

FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the retractor with the housingremoved;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the spool unit of the retractor;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the spool unit;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the spool unit;

FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a wheelchair secured from the front with atypical prior art retractor;

FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a wheelchair secured from the front with anembodiment of the retractor described herein; and,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second example embodiment of aretractor that includes space-saving features and a visual indicator.

It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scaleand that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols,phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. Incertain instances, details which are not necessary for an understandingof the embodiments described and claimed herein or which render otherdetails difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should beunderstood, of course, that the inventions described herein are notnecessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated. Indeed,it is expected that persons of ordinary skill in the art may devise anumber of alternative configurations that are similar and equivalent tothe embodiments shown and described herein without departing from thespirit and scope of the claims.

Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar partsfrom Figure to Figure in the following detailed description of thedrawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of a retractor 10 that includes space-saving features isdepicted in FIGS. 1-5 . The retractor 10 may include a housing 20 withan opening 30 for passing webbing 40 (or other types of belts or straps)from a spool unit 100. The webbing 40 may be secured at its proximal endto the spool unit 100 and a length of the webbing 40 may be wound aroundthe spool unit 100, as shown. The spool unit 100 of the retractor 10 maybe powered in one or both directions using a motor 60, speed reductiongearing 70, and drive shaft 80. The retractor 10 may additionally oralternatively be provided with spring-biasing which causes the spoolunit 100 to pull webbing 40 onto the spool unit 100. The webbing 40 maybe configured to leave the spool unit 100 at the top of the spool unit100, as shown, or may be configured to leave the spool unit 100 at abottom of the spool unit 100. The webbing 40 may be secured at itsterminal end to an anchor, such as the hook 50 shown in the figures, forattachment to a wheelchair or other cargo.

The spool unit 100 may comprise one or more sprockets 110, one or moreguide plates 120, one or more webbing pads 130, one or more bearings140, one or more end plates 150, one or more mandrels 160, and one ormore webbing guide members 170. As shown, the spool unit 100 may includetwo sprockets 110 disposed at opposite sides of the spool unit 100. Eachsprocket 110 may comprise a plurality of teeth 116 around its peripheryfor engagement with a locking pawl (not shown). The locking pawl (notshown) may selectively engage with the teeth 116 to lock the spool unit100 in one or both directions (i.e., preventing webbing 40 from beingpulled out of the retractor 10, and/or prevent webbing 40 from beingwound into the retractor 10). The sprocket 110 may also include acentral hole 114 for receiving the drive shaft 80 there through. Thecentral hole 114 may be provided with a shape that corresponds to theshape of the drive shaft 80, whereby torque from the motor 60 may becommunicated to the spool unit 100 through the speed reduction gearing70, drive shaft 80 and sprocket 110. The sprocket may also include oneor more holes (or female engagement members) 112 for receiving one ormore projections (or male engagement members) 162 on the mandrel 160,whereby torque from the motor 60 may be further communicated through thesprocket 110 and to the mandrel 160. The holes 112 and projections 162may have complementary shapes, such as the crescent shapes shown in thefigures. In one embodiment, the projections 162 may be press fit intothe holes 112 to hold the spool unit 100 together as a unit and to alignthe teeth 116 and the central holes 114 of the two sprockets 110.

As shown, the spool unit 100 may also include a spool 145 for holdingwebbing 40. The spool 145 may be defined by one mandrel 160 with two,spaced-apart end plates 150 affixed to the mandrel 160 near or at itsopposite ends. Each end plate 150 may include a central opening 152 withan inwardly directed tab 154. The mandrel 160 may be configured in acircular, or semi-circular shape for insertion into the central openings152 of the end plates 150, whereby webbing 40 may be connected to themandrel 160 and wound around it, between the end plates 150, into acylindrical shape. The mandrel 160 may include grooves 164 that are usedto lock the end plates 150 into place. To install the end plates 150,the mandrel 160 may be compressed a small amount so that the end plates150 may be pushed into the grooves 164. Once the mandrel 160 is nolonger compressed, it will return to its original diameter, captivatingand locking the end plates 150 into the grooves 164. As shown, themandrel 160 is semi-circular in shape with a gap 166 that receives thetab 154 on the end plates 150. The tabs 154 are configured forengagement in the gap 166 of the mandrel 160, whereby torque from themotor 60 may be further communicated through the mandrel 160 and to theend plates 150, whereby the mandrel 160 and end plates 150 rotatetogether.

Further, the spool unit 100 may include a rotatable webbing guide 115with a guide opening 175 that receives and guides webbing 40 straightonto the spool 145 and prevent twists in the webbing 40 from beingintroduced onto the spool 145. The webbing guide 115 is rotatable abouta periphery of the spool 145. The webbing guide 115 maintains thewebbing 40 aligned with the spool 145, preventing the webbing fromcrossing the sprockets 110 therefore reducing premature wear. Theopening 175 of the webbing guide 115 also presents a narrow, elongatedslot that allows the webbing 40 which prevents twisting of the webbing40 within the spool 145. The webbing guide 115 may further ensure thatthe webbing 40 is always presented in a direct path with thecircumference of the wound webbing 40 on the spool 145, whereby theloads at the retractor and on the anchoring point may be reduced. Thewebbing guide 115 may include a visual indicator 180, such as the oneshown in FIG. 7 , which alerts a user via a numerical or color valuethat the belt angle is optimized for effective wheelchair securement. Asshown in FIG. 7 , the visual indicator 180 may comprise an arrowindicator 182 on the webbing guide 115 that is adjacent a colored orlined gauge 184, that may have the angle number (such as “45°”) and/or acolor (such as green) indicating a normal and/or optimal operatingangle, and an angle number (such as “0°” and/or “90°”) and/or a color(such as red) indicating an upper and/or lower angle limit. The webbingguide 115 may further be provided with a spring bias, which reducesexcursions by positioning the guide 115 in an ideal geometry to maximizewebbing ingress.

The guide opening 175 may be defined by two, oppositely positioned guideplates 120 that are separated by a pair of spaced-apart webbing guidemembers 170. The guide opening 175 may alternatively be defined by thepair of webbing guide members 170 and webbing pads 130 that are disposedbetween the webbing guide members 170 and the guide plates 120. Thewebbing guide members 170 may comprise cylinders or other longitudinalmembers that have curved or smooth edges and/or surfaces to reduce wearon the webbing 40 as it passes through the guide opening 175 Similarly,the webbing pads 130 are provided with curved or smooth edges and/orsurfaces to reduce wear on the webbing 40 as it passes through the guideopening 175. In other embodiments, the guide opening 175 may be providedby a unitary structure with smooth or curved edges. As shown, the guideplates 120 may include apertures 124 that align with apertures 134 onthe webbing pads 130. Apertures 124 and 134 may receive screws 135 thatengage with threaded openings 174 at the opposite ends of the webbingguide members 170. In this respect, screws hold together guide plates120, webbing pads 130, and webbing guide members 170, where the webbingpads 130 are captivated between the webbing guide members 170 and guideplates 120 once the screws are torqued down.

The guide plates 120 of the webbing guide 115 may include a centralopening 122 with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of themandrel 160, whereby the central opening 122 can receive the mandrel 160and the webbing guide 115 can rotate about the mandrel. The width of thewebbing guide 115 is slightly larger than the width of the spool 145,whereby the guide plates 120 are positioned outside of the end plates150, but inside of the sprockets 110, as best shown in FIG. 4 . Thrustbearings 140 are provided between each set of end plates 150 and guideplates 120, which allows the webbing guide 115 to rotate freely aboutits axis of rotation, independent from the remaining components of thespool unit 100, even when the webbing 40 enters the guide opening 175 atan angle and pulls the webbing guide 115 laterally. In some embodiments,the webbing guide 115 is capable of guiding the webbing 40 onto a spool145, permitting it to enter and exit the retractor case at differentangles along a 360° rotation. The webbing guide 115 freely rotates 360°about the axis of the spool 145 allowing the webbing 40 to exit theretractor case at different angles. As a result, retractors 10 can beinstalled in various positions reducing the space required to secure anobject. For instance, the retractor 10 shown in FIG. 2 could be turnedaround where the webbing 40 and hook 50 exit from the rear of theretractor 10 (in which case the webbing 40 would be coming off of thebottom of the spool 145, rather than the top of the spool 145 as shown).In some other embodiments, the rotation of the webbing guide 115 may belimited to a range of angles. For instance, the embodiment shown in FIG.1 includes a housing 20 with an opening 30 that restricts the rotationalmovement of the webbing guide to a certain, predetermined range ofangles.

The retractor 10 depicted in FIGS. 1-5 (which includes a rotatablewebbing guide and webbing that comes off of the top of the spool) mayprovide space savings in a wheelchair securement system, where webbingideally should extend between the retractor and the wheelchair at anangle of approximately 35-55°, when compared to prior art systems thatpresent webbing off of the bottom of the spool and include a fixedwebbing guide positioned forward of the retractor. The space savings arebest depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B. By taking the webbing off of the topof the spool (FIG. 6B), rather than the bottom of the spool (FIG. 6A),the take-off point 190 from the retractor shifts rearward to thetrailing edge of the spool, rather than the leading edge of the spool,and a space savings of D1 is realized. Furthermore, allowing the webbingguide to rotate (FIG. 6B), rather than be positioned fixedly at thefront of the retractor (FIG. 6A), the space D2 taken up by the prior artwebbing guide is also saved. Incorporating both features (i.e.,rotatable webbing guide and webbing taken off the top) into a retractormay permit the wheelchair to be secured a total distance D(=D1+D2)closer to the retractor, thereby shrinking the size of the space neededto secure a wheelchair. The savings will depend upon the type ofretractor being used; in some instances, the space savings may be up to6 inches (15.24 centimeters) or more. Use of the same configuration forthe retractor(s) at the rear of the wheelchair (if used) may double thetotal space savings.

Although the inventions described and claimed herein have been describedin considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments, oneskilled in the art will appreciate that the inventions described andclaimed herein can be practiced by other than those embodiments, whichhave been presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation.Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not belimited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.

1. A retractor in a securement system securing a wheelchair, theretractor comprising a spool, a belt, and a wheelchair connector,wherein: a proximal end of the belt is connected to and at leastpartially wound around the spool; a terminal end of the belt isconnected to the wheelchair connector; the wheelchair connector isreleasably connected to the wheelchair; and, the belt extends from a tophalf of the spool to the wheelchair connector in a substantiallyuninterrupted line.
 2. The retractor of claim 1 further comprising ahousing with an opening, the belt extending through the opening.
 3. Theretractor of claim 2, wherein the opening is a top opening.
 4. Theretractor of claim 1, wherein the belt extends at an angle in a range of35° to 55°.
 5. The retractor of claim 4 further comprising an angleindicator that provides an indication of the angle.
 6. The retractor ofclaim 1, wherein the substantially uninterrupted line is a straightline.
 7. A wheelchair accessible vehicle comprising: a vehicle accessdevice for ingress and egress of a wheelchair; a wheelchair securementarea for receiving the wheelchair; and, a wheelchair securement systemcomprising at least one retractor for securing the wheelchair duringtransit, the at least one retractor each including a spool, a belt, anda wheelchair connector; wherein: a proximal end of the belt is connectedto and at least partially wound around the spool; a terminal end of thebelt is connected to the wheelchair connector; the wheelchair connectoris adapted to releasably connect to the wheelchair; and, the belt isconfigured to extend from a top half of the spool to the wheelchairconnector when connected to the wheelchair in a substantiallyuninterrupted line.
 8. The wheelchair accessible vehicle of claim 7wherein the retractor further comprises a housing with an opening, thebelt extending through the opening.
 9. The wheelchair accessible vehicleof claim 8, wherein the opening is a top opening.
 10. The wheelchairaccessible vehicle of claim 7, wherein the belt is configured to extendin the substantially uninterrupted line at an angle in a range of 35° to55°.
 11. The wheelchair accessible vehicle of claim 10, wherein theretractor further comprises an angle indicator that provides anindication of the angle.
 12. The wheelchair accessible vehicle of claim7, wherein the substantially uninterrupted line is a straight line. 13.The wheelchair accessible vehicle of claim 8, wherein the at least oneretractor comprises at least two retractors.
 14. A method for securing awheelchair in a wheelchair accessible vehicle having a vehicle accessdevice for ingress and egress of the wheelchair, a wheelchair securementarea for receiving the wheelchair, and at least one retractor forsecuring the wheelchair in the wheelchair securement area duringtransit, the at least one retractor each including a belt at leastpartially wound around a spool and having a wheelchair connector at aterminal end, the method comprising the step of releasably securing thewheelchair connector of a first of the at least one retractor to aportion of the wheelchair whereby the belt extends from a top half ofthe spool to the wheelchair connector in a substantially uninterruptedline.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the releasably securing stepincludes selecting the portion of the wheelchair such that the beltextends in the substantially uninterrupted line at an angle in a rangeof 35° to 55°.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the substantiallyuninterrupted line is a straight line.
 17. The method of claim 16further comprising the steps of: releasably securing the wheelchairconnector of a second of the at least one retractor to a second portionof the wheelchair whereby the belt extends from a top half of the spoolto the wheelchair connector in a substantially uninterrupted line;releasably securing the wheelchair connector of a third of the at leastone retractor to a third portion of the wheelchair whereby the beltextends from a top half of the spool to the wheelchair connector in asubstantially uninterrupted line; and, releasably securing thewheelchair connector of a fourth of the at least one retractor to afourth portion of the wheelchair whereby the belt extends from a tophalf of the spool to the wheelchair connector in a substantiallyuninterrupted line.
 18. The method of claim 14 further comprising thestep of releasably securing the wheelchair connector of a second of theat least one retractor to a second portion of the wheelchair whereby thebelt extends from a top half of the spool to the wheelchair connector ina substantially uninterrupted line.
 19. The method of claim 18 furthercomprising the step of releasably securing the wheelchair connector of athird of the at least one retractor to a third portion of the wheelchairwhereby the belt extends from a top half of the spool to the wheelchairconnector in a substantially uninterrupted line.
 20. The method of claim19 further comprising the step of releasably securing the wheelchairconnector of a fourth of the at least one retractor to a fourth portionof the wheelchair whereby the belt extends from a top half of the spoolto the wheelchair connector in a substantially uninterrupted line.